Kokoro's Jewel
by 0sakura26
Summary: Kokoro is forced to live on her own after a devistating fire that left her with almost nothing. How will she survive now that everything has changed? And what will she find once her life is in danger? A mix of genres. *Pirate Crew OC
1. The start

"_The maid. Quick---slice her throat. Okay, we have maybe 10 minutes before the guards come. Run. Get to all corners of the house. Set the fire, get out. Kill anyone who see's you before they scream. Scatter." _The quick words bounced off his tongue. His own blood thirst scared him_. _They…They_…_

**They brought it on themselves.**

_It was their fault. If they weren't so rich this wouldn't have happened' _He convinced himself, falling into madness. He smiled and grabbed his lighter. Holding it up close to his face he saw a young girl approach. She was maybe 6 or 7—he didn't have the time to tell.

"_Mom…why are you up so late?"_

"_Mom?"_

"…_Dad??"_

His vision blurred. Not with tears. Slash slash…a scream would attract the guards but it was too late for that. He saw smoke and knew it would happen soon. He tossed the lighter on the wall and ran. It caught fire and spread to the corners of the heavily embroidered walls. He laughed. It was an eerie sound, the laughter. As a bomb exploded and his skin peeled away, his grin held. As the last sound came out of his dyeing body a pillar came down, crushing him.

-------------------------------------------------Chapter one, Kokoro-----------------------------------------------------

She ran, out of breath already. She never liked sports. This was worse. The shouting behind her hung in her ears even as the ending screams begun. Dad was dead. Little sister was dead. _Mom…don't be dead…I need you…Mom…_ An ember caught her hair, burning her face. If she screamed they'd get her. She needed a plan. Kokoro surveyed the situation. The carpet and wooden floors were gone, engulfed in blue flames. They had a mage with them. Chances are there was only one, as mages were expensive and hard to find. The blue flame twisted to see her. It coiled around her waist, making dark charred cloth where it met. She prayed it wouldn't burn, but as usual her luck wasn't the best. Don't scream. If they find you then it's over. On a split decision she ran out of the fire. It followed her through the halls. As she ran a loud echo rumbled the house. Light followed and the building shook. She was on the third floor. Now she was on the 1st. The collapsed bundle of fire and wood looked nothing like her home. Dust filled the small space she had fallen in. The blue flame had lost interest and was now joining the other flames. The ceiling was still there, trapping her exit. She stepped on some creaky wood and leaped back, her pupils shrinking. There, right in front of her was her mother, barley alive.

"_Kokoro…go into the drawer- get a blue necklace. Not the fake .You know which one. Hurry dear…get out of this place. I won't make it. You know that. But I'll always be with you. I'll always love you."_

Kokoro's throat closed up. She wanted to say "I love you too, mom. Don't leave. Don't you dare leave me." But the words didn't come. She panicked. What if her mom died right here without her saying that? She willed it to clear.

"_M—mom…mom…I…I lo...I love you too mom! I always will!" _She broke into sobs and fell to the ground. Her mom smiled softly and touched her face. Her hand fell to the floor and her eyes closed. Only her smile remained.

"_Mom…"_ Kokoro stood and went to the drawer. She un-activated the lock and took the black choker. Then she ran. Out of the house and out of her old life. Once outside she saw a body standing upright and rigged, holding its arm in pain. Her first thought was fury. He was one of them. She tore across the wreckage and hit him full force, knocking him off his feet. She pounded on his chest, trying to break bones. Trying to make him suffer.

"_Kokoro! Stop it!" _

And she did. For gazing up at her in astonished wonder was her servant. The only one she had left.


	2. The fire

--------------------------------------------------------------Kokoro Chapter two------------------------------------------------

It was dark when they finally sat down to rest. She was glad he had followed her, even when he didn't get paid. When she tentatively asked him why, he had replied grimly

"You're the only thing I have left. Why wouldn't I?" She had looked down and held back tears after his words. She was 14 anyway. Close to 15. Soon she would have been married off, to help her family. However…

She distracted herself. Crying wasted energy and water. And in front of Kai…She studied him. He was a little older than her—maybe 16—and was in good shape. He was taller than she was and as she remembered was good with healing spells. A book was rested by his side at this very moment. She realized she was staring and looked away quickly.

"So…are you hungry?" He asked awkwardly. He was looking through the book. She took a chance.

"Um…yes…hey…where'd you get that book? It…um…why didn't it get burned up?" He smiled.

"Well, it has some protection spells. But only against other magic." He gestured to his broken arm and bruised chest. She felt a pang of guilt. "It also has some hunting spells." He mentioned, reciting a verse from the beaten page.

"S-Stop!" She said, surprising herself.

"What?" He questioned, annoyed.

"The…animal…I won't eat a dead animal!" She murmured angrily.

"So_ now_ you decide to be an activist?" He challenged back.

"I don't know what you mean." She said, oblivious. He sighed.

"Are you really that dumb? You ate pig today!" He grabbed his book again and continued the chant.

"…No…I ate _ham_ today." Kokoro insisted.

"Pig is ham." He clarified.

"!"

Kokoro sat on the mossy ground, eating a dead squirrel. '_Yum…'_ She thought sarcastically. Still, the spell had worked. She would have thanked him if she weren't so embarrassed. He had such a quick temper! And it was obvious she needed to learn a lot more about nature. All she had been taught while being homeschooled was housework. She hadn't even gotten to cooking yet. She bit angrily at the meat. _The_ _worst thing about Kai_, she thought, _is his piercing red eyes_. Sure enough, with his jet black hair and ghastly white skin, were two eyes—red as blood. He was kind, she was sure…but those eyes sent a chill down her spine every time she met them. She looked down to his arm. It would heal, but it probably would leave some nasty scars. He looked away from his book at towards her. She had to learn not to stare.

Her own dress was charred, she noticed. Her face reddened. A part of her dress was falling off. She tied it so that it wouldn't drag. She needed a new dress. Or…no…pants? That's crazy. Only men wore pants. But…It would be more convenient than a dress, especially on the run away. She made her decision. At the next town they came to, she would ask to get a new pair of shorts. The top part of her dress was still salvageable—the blue flame hadn't had the time to destroy that. Her thoughts turned to her choker, tied tightly around her neck. She knew nothing about it. Only that it was her mother's most prized possession. The jewel in the center of the black band glistened even as the moon rose. It was a deep blue, like the ocean, she thought. It had a bright swirl through it, a clam color that made her heart settle again._ Things will be ok…They have to be._ She threw away the bones of the squirrel, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep in the cold night air.

The first thing she felt was a heavy weight on her. Then warmth. She opened her eyes and saw a piece of cloth had been placed on her. _Kai? No…he wouldn't…Would he?_ She looked over at him. He was still awake, tending to a fire he had made.

"Awake already?" He asked, yawning. It was the middle of the night.

"Yea…" She replied, and then froze. He did too. What was that sound?

"Kokoro…run, right now. Get out of here. I'll hold them off as long as I can." Kai spoke in a whisper.

"O….okay." She said, knowing full well that they wanted her. They would ignore Kai. She got up slowly, careful not to look like anything was wrong. _Funny how life can turn on you in a second…_ She thought. Then she ran.

They were persistent. As she crossed logs and streams they followed. The same ones that killed her family. Unbelievable fear coursed through her, making her legs run faster. Her breath came in shallow gasps, she was over her limit. A flame licked her legs, making her stumble then fall. It ate at her feet, and pain surged through her. She screamed, not caring who heard. The flame traveled up to her neck, missing her top by an inch. Her eyes focused on the head of it, noticing it was a red flame. They wanted to keep her alive. She froze as shouts drew closer. She saw a leg that stopped next to her. The next thing they said made her scream once more.

"Blind her."

The flame twisted up to meet her eye, its warmth mad her blink and tears streamed down her face.

"_KAI!!!! HELP ME!!! KAI!!!!!" _ She cried through tears. A burning sensation reached her. Red blocked her vision. A horrible sound made her want to plug her ears, before noticing it was her. The flame withdrew, but the pain didn't stop. She wasn't sure if she was totally blind, or if only one eye had been burned. She blacked out as a yelp of pain came from her kidnappers.

Pain ebbed and flowed through her face. As she struggled to wake up it worsened. Until she couldn't take it anymore. She tried to go back into the nice, painless black but she couldn't. She let out a groan of pain. She heard a muffled voice saying something she couldn't make out. A man's voice. Yesterday's events flooded into her mind, and fear made her fully aware of everything.

And everything was dark.


	3. The Jeweled Scythe

----------------------------------------------------Kokoro Chapter 3------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness was all she saw. She screamed quickly, and then remembered to keep quiet.

"Stop shaking! Geese…Don't try and open your eyes. Don't scream ether."

_Kai….!_ She looked up out of habit. Panic as she wondered how long this would last. But it was Kai.

"Kokoro…I'm…I'm glad you're okay." He murmured. "I was worried." He cleared his throat.

"How…?" Her voice sounded harsh, not at all like the unusually soft words that she was used to.

"Don't talk. You inhaled too much smoke." She coughed. "After you fainted I came and cast sleep spells on them all. I got you and took a ship out of town." He paused, letting the information sink in. "We're in the forest. I couldn't go into any of the inns…they think we're dead." He chuckled. "You should have seen their faces. Got pale as a ghost."

"Are my eyes…???? Am I blind??? What's going to happen if….?"

"Shhhh! everything is going to be okay. One of your eyes is burnt too bad to fix. I think I can heal the other."

Relief as well as pain and loss covered her from head to toe. Wait, that's good. She still had toes.

"Your leg was badly burned too. I healed it first. Nothings missing. By the way…It's been two weeks."

She gasped. Then coughed. When she recovered she thought this over, making a chart in her mind.

_Good things__: Your alive, Kai is here, you have one eye, you have both your feet and legs, Kai is a healer, There must be food here if I've been alive for 2 weeks. __Bad things__: Your family is dead, you're missing one eye, you're in the jungle and cant got anywhere else because everyone thinks you're dead._

Well, that worked. Wait…Her necklace! She felt for it, and when it was confirmed that it was still there fell into another deep sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------6 months later--------------------------------------------------------------

Kokoro stood up, listening for the small stream that let her know she was in the right place. When she heard it she opened her one eye, slowly letting it adjust to the light. The place was beautiful. Tree's caressed the ground, merging with leaves in all directions. The water cast light in all directions. She could see, out of one eye. The other was covered with a black bandage. She had cut her dress till it was just a short poncho-like thing with a shirt underneath it. It was great for storing food and was all red with no design. She faintly missed the embroidered gowns she used to wear. But then again, she had never seen so much nature. Other than clothes she had also acquired an elastic band. Her dirty blonde hair was now in a long ponytail on her back. Her new knife was strapped to her leg, just in case things turned bad. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed a new weapon, a better weapon that dealt more damage than a small scrape.

Kai appeared and she turned around. Her voice had since returned to normal.

"You're up early." He commented. "I thought you'd sleep in more."

"Yea…I was going to, but…" She trailed off.

"Want to go into town today?" He asked. Her eyes widened.

"You mean it?" She asked happily.

"Yea. Let's go now."

When they got to the busy streets she couldn't help but stop and stare. People were rushing around, not paying any attention to anything in their path. The shopkeepers shouted their wares to the buyers, who in turn shouted bargains and trades. The dust on the streets made her cough and blink her eyes. Kai looked amused. When she re-opened them a strange man approached them. Startled, she looked at Kai who seemed equally puzzled. When he was standing right in front of them he pulled a scythe out of his heavy black cloak, then another identical one. They were striking. The craftsmanship was beautiful. At the end of the black bandaged handle were three delicate looking charms on strings. They were made of the same jewels as her choker.

"Hello, Young Miss and Sir! Nice day isn't it. You seem smart. Here's a deal. I'll give this to you for only-"He was cut off as Kokoro snatched the weapons and jumped into the forest, Kai at her heals. A shocked expression took over the merchants face as he continued to work, two weapons short.

"…why on earth did you do that?!" Kai said, more shocked than angry. "Knock him out first so he doesn't remember!" He lectured.

"I wasn't thinking. Sorry." She said sincerely. But on the inside she breathed a sigh of relief. She had a weapon, a companion, and all the food and water she needed. Things were looking good. And that should have been a warning in its self.

She woke up to screams. She woke up to Kai being taken. She ran to the intruder, slashing him messily with one scythe. He let go screaming. Another one appeared out of nowhere, kicking her side hard. Kai was yelling at her to leave, tears in his eyes. She kept fighting, not caring if she killed. She was losing the battle, and knew she could keep this up for long. They came in groups, far too much for her to handle.

Then the thing she would always reflect back on as a turning point happened. A ball of light grabbed her and melted into her, and she lost all control of her body. She grabbed the spell book and ran. She ran to a small boat and grabbed the rope, ignoring the cries of the owner. Kokoro jumped on the deck and sailed away from the small island. _Kai…why did you do that? You were the only thing I had._ The light faded from her body and then, only then, did she allow herself to cry.


	4. The storm

---------------------------------------------------Kokoro chapter 4---------------------------------------------------------

Days passed, weeks passed. Months passed before she knew where she was. When she was in the middle of the ocean, she sometimes sang. She made her own songs, contented that no one would ever hear. The other thing she did was practice her weapon skills. She learnt by trial and error what to do, and what not to do. That's how she ate. Seagulls tasted horrible, for example. She tried hunting in the water and saw her movements were too slow and clumsy. Kokoro trained and after what seemed like years, was finally skilled enough to catch them. That said she was no Olympic swimmer. Sometimes she would scramble on board, with a mouth full of seawater and legs tangled with seaweed. For drinking water she couldn't do much. She tried to purify it to almost no avail, and relied on rain. The tiny little boat was easy to manage, but she yearned to be on land again.

Kai was never thought about. She pushed him out of her mind, determined to forget. Never again would she love someone. She was bad luck- it was better not to drag anyone into her mess of a life. But sometimes he would manage to slip into her thoughts for an hour or two. She pondered if he was alive, if he had escaped, and why he had saved her. And on one night she finally realized that she had been head-over-heels in love with him.

_That's it…I loved him. And he's not coming back._

She was just starting to feel the familiar twinges of loss when she noticed the wind had picked up. She checked the clouds; they were dark and approaching fast. Within an hour the waves were sweeping the boat back and forth, making Kokoro grab the edges and fear the worst. The ocean spray blasted her face as the first wave made it into the boat. After that more and more ice water drenched her and the small sailboat, making the weight of its load too much to take. The boat was sinking fast, and Kokoro had just enough time to cast an element protection spell on the book and stuff it into her pocket before she had no choice other than to jump. The water wasn't that much of a shock, she was already soaked. The thing that surprised her was the power of the waves. She had no idea they could be this strong. They pulled her this way and that. She was at their mercy. Her lungs screamed for air, but she couldn't claw her way to the surface. She couldn't breathe. Her breath blew out in a giant bubble and she felt the freezing water fill her lungs. No, she couldn't die here…she refused to! On the verge of losing consciousness, Kokoro heard a voice.

_For your life, a curse. You will forever be marked. _

Then a blazing white light. Was she dead? No, she could feel her leg. Something red was oozing out of it. Oh…blood. A blazing pain attacked her leg in odd directions. She saw a black mark gripping up her leg. She squeezed her eyes shut; the salt water was burning them. Another pain encased her whole body this time. Her legs opened up and blood was everywhere. Every pore on her body felt horrible pain and she found it harder with every second to bear. She noticed she hadn't taken a breath in more than 30 seconds and wondered how long this could last. Finally the pain subsided. She opened her eye, then with wonder, the other. She gasped--If that was possible to do underwater. Her eyesight was perfect under the water. She pulled her hand up to find it was covered with scales. Her eyes widened. She was covered head to toe in scales. But more shocking than that was the fact that she didn't have any toes. She had a tail as thin and as long as dolphins. It looked more like a fish's though, as she had side-fins near her waist. Also located around there were some gills. Two more fins appeared at her chest. Her hair band was still tied up. She realized with sickening fear she had sank.

Everything was dark except for a little light that drifted slowly in the waves. She decided to swim up and ignore the light. After around five minutes of travel upward she hadn't made any progress. It was still dark as night. And the light was still there. It was closer now, an eerie sign.

_What if I'm going the wrong way? What if I've been going down?_

She froze. The light was right near her fin. She felt a silky object touch her tail, and a fresh wave of terror rose up in her. She darted away from whatever it was. It swam through the water faster than she expected and only then did she comprehend how much trouble she was in. The light let her see its face. She wished it hadn't.

Its black color disguised it, making it blend into the deep sea. Its tiny eyes stared grotesquely at her, a neon white color. Its teeth, long and sharp, bended in to her and its fins were tiny and tattered. It was an angler fish, and she was its new found prey. She burst up-or at least what she thought was up- and tried to make herself as streamlined as she could. She looked behind her to see the light shifting back and forth in an effort to catch up to her. She swam harder, faster. Pain surged through her arm as she hit a rock. She was used to the pain, but the disappointment was searing.

_There aren't any rocks at the surface. Rocks sink. Stupid…_

She realized she was taking all of this extremely well. Almost dying, turning into a mermaid and all that. She made her way _up_ and continued to think. What happened to her clothes? Her weapons? Her eye patch? His spell book? It would all be together if it was there, but it had been more than an hour since the storm. Maybe the waters were still choppy out there. Wait. She was a mermaid. How would she turn back? When, or if, that happened, would she be able to go back to mermaid form? Her head hurt. Could she sleep here?

_Couldn't hurt~! _ She closed her eyes and fell into a deep and fitful sleep.

First thing in her head when she woke- That was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Second thing- Where am I? She was still in the ocean, but she was surrounded. By mermaids. There were about 20 of them, all a bit darker in color than her. They looked at her and whispered to each other; surprisingly they spoke words she half understood.

"She…not…from….here?" Said the first one in a whispering voice.

"No. Not…from…Killi." Said the second. The third garbled something. They nodded.

"Look! …Awake!" One gasped. Everyone crowded around her, asking her questions and telling her things.

"…S…Stop!" She spoke. Everyone jumped back, afraid.

"….Sorry?" Said the first one. "I'll start. Who….you?"

"…I'm…" She hesitated. Obviously they wouldn't spread the word anywhere above the sea. "Kokoro…that's my name…"

They swam forward, each with their own questions. She tried to answer them all without giving too much away. Finally they finished. She got up to leave when one more mermaid burst into the space they were in. She was a young one, and was obviously flustered and had swum fast to get there.

"Is…this yours? I found them…and put them in a backpack…" She spoke easily in more understandable English. Kokoro gasped. Her stuff! Her shirt, and shorts, and her weapons! A little more digging in the pack revealed his book and her eye patch. She quickly said her good-byes and thank-yous then disappeared into the sea. Again.


	5. The girl

----------------------------------------------Kokoro chapter 5-------------------------------------------------------------------

As poor Kokoro traveled the sea, alone and in mermaid form, she learned how to swim faster, more agile. The sea became like a second home to her. When she finally found an island she was very careful. Not getting seen in her current form was essential. If she did get caught, she would be tested on, or worse, sold to a circus. So she found a quiet spot to change shape…or at least try. She swam until she had to drag herself along the sandy shore. The pain once again overwhelmed her as a splitting sensation pulled up her legs. Relief flooded her head after she was human again and had put on her clothes. The blood would wash out of the sand, and no one would know she was even here.

That was a perfect plan, until she saw a body drifting towards the shore. Its face was up and the eyes were closed. She couldn't be too careful, so she hoped into the knee high water to retrieve the body. Once she had dragged it out she found it was still breathing weakly and was a girl. She reached into her backpack to find his book. She opened the pages and saw a simple spell to use. It would get some of the water out of her lungs. She cast it and went out to find some food.

"SAFAFA SQUAAAAAAAAKKKKKKK" A loud cry interrupted her thoughts. What _was_ that? A bird?

"SAAAAAFAFA! SQUAAAAAK! *tweettweet*" Whatever it was, it was annoying.

" SAFAAAAAFAAAAAAAAA!!!!! *tweetwhistletweet* She suppressed the urge to shout at it.

"SAAA-"The bird was brought down with a large shake of its tree. Kokoro grabbed it and took it back to camp. Dinner would be served.

Back at the camp the stranger still hadn't woken up. She put the bird in a seaweed rope and tied it up.

"SAAAFFFAAAFFAAA!!!!!" The alarmed cry rang through the forest. Kokoro swore. If she kept this up, everyone in the whole town would find them. She let the bird go, expecting it to fly away. Instead it flew over to the girl. It was weird but not a concern. She left to get food. Again. When she returned the bird wasn't any quieter. She wondered with little sympathy how someone could sleep through that. Speaking of sleep, she was exhausted. She soon fell asleep.

When she awoke, it was to the sound of that bird. She couldn't eat it, but maybe she could somehow tape its mouth shut. She tried over and over again to no avail. Noticing the spell book she went to check on the girl. She would wake up soon, and that meant she didn't have to stick around any longer than she needed to. It was obvious that she hadn't seen anything. In this condition she would have been lucky to have been awake. The only reason she had stuck around was because if she had died, people would look at the mildly red sand, and the stranger that walked away from the same spot the girl was found. And that wasn't in her plans. She turned around to pack up her stuff, and tightened up with anger. She was awake. Great.

"Hello?" Her voice was raw and sounded painful. The girl had a head wound, so she shouldn't be sitting up. Kokoro sighed. This girl was a reckless, impatient one. She turned around, about to warn her not to stand--or talk for that matter-- when she said the weirdest thing.

"Safafa…!" The girl called. So she knew the bird. It was quiet for once. Maybe it was asleep. She prayed it didn't wake up. "Safafa!" She said louder. Another ear-shattering squawk was heard coming from the distant east. The bird flew over and circled the girl who was trying to stand. She was failing, falling onto her knees. Kokoro walked behind her, and told her with hand signals to come. Her voice would be a dead giveaway if the girl was one of _them_. The girl couldn't move very far and when Kokoro finally half-hauled her back to the makeshift camp the girl seemed very tired. She decided to help her wound and then leave. Kokoro opened the book and read a spell for healing. She took a piece of her burned shirt that she had saved and washed it in the water.

"So… would you mind telling you name? Instead of me calling you the girl all the time..." Kokoro looked at her. No way was she telling her. The girl sighed. "So, did you lose someone or did they get kidnapped or something..?" Kokoro flinched. She shouldn't have gone there. "Was he important to you? I can relate in a way, my father was once a pirate, he didn't kill people unless they hurt someone he loved… he was more of a Robin Hood kind of guy, Stealing from the rich, giving it to the poor. But he was betrayed…by someone he trusted..." Kokoro was getting very angry when she heard a similar emotion in that girls voice. Wait…what if they were the same people…in the same organization…no, impossible. But still, something made her stay and not walk off, alone and in a nasty mood. She grabbed a stick and wrote some words in the sand. Maybe she did this to give the girl an idea of what she was getting into. She didn't know.

_Both of my parents are dead, I had a friend a few months ago that was captured, I don't want to speak to anyone fearing that I will lose them too_

The girl looked saddened."I'm trying to find something on this island, the only thing left from my father. It seemed as if he wanted me to come here and get it… I don't know what it is though."

Kokoro's heart lifted. She wished she had an object from her dad or sister…She wrote in the sand again.

_Then let's go and figure out what it is!_

Kokoro stood up and offered her hand to the girl. Her head injury had gotten better, thanks to the healing spell.

"By the way, my names Korza." Spoke the girl.

They traveled a long way, through the trees and overgrown plants of the jungle. The annoying bird, whose name was now learned to be Safafa, was flying above the trees. _Lucky bird…_she thought. Suddenly Korza slipped and fell into a deep-looking hole. Kokoro looked down it, waiting till Korza stopped falling and screaming. A splash alerted her to water below. She would have to be very careful not to touch it for fear of changing. The black tattoo was still on her leg.

"Come on down! I think I found what my dad left for me!" Korza's voice came from the hole. She slid down and landed thigh deep in water. No changing or piercing pain. _That's good._

Kokoro smirked for a second, and then looked in awe at the thing in front of her. A ship, towering over her, with water splashing at its base.

She looked and smiled a real smile, the first she'd had since Kai had been taken.

_I'm home._


	6. Holiday Issue

-----------------------------------------------------------Kokoro chapter 6--------------------------------------------------------

Kokoro had been at the ship for a while now, and a very important time was coming up. Christmas. For as long as Kokoro could remember, her family had celebrated with elegant dances and decorations, enough to make a palace look like a shabby wooden house. Cake was served in piles, and she was greeted by millions of famous people, from all over the world. The entertainment was amazing, and she was lectured for hours on manners, behavior and all of that. But that was in the past, and on reflection she was amazed at how different she was. Maybe that was a good thing? She was tougher now. She had met Korza. And even though Safafa was annoying…

Anyway, Kokoro needed to get them some gifts. Some old habits die hard. Kokoro slipped away from the temporary house they had found and ran to the nearest town. As she walked she noticed a tiny white flake drifting toward the ground. It twisted and turned in the wind, behind it was the army it kept, millions of its replicas. Yet none of them were the same. Kokoro's cheeks reddened. If Korza or anyone else ever saw her…She lifted her head up and stuck out her tongue, feeling the cold touch of the air and the snowflakes landing. She smiled. Lowering her head she went to find two gifts.

She wandered around for a while, looking for a store that was open this late. When she finally got to some, the shop keeper was tired and looked dizzy. Kokoro carefully approached.

"Um…I was wondering if you had any gifts. For Christmas?" She spoke quietly. The man looked at her, his jaw hanging open.

"…Young Miss…Shouldn't be out so late…" He managed to slur at her. His breath smelled so strongly of Whisky that she took a step back. This wouldn't be as easy as she thought. Quickly she took out her Scythe and with the hard end of one jabbed him on the head. He dropped immediately. Stepping over him, she took a look in his shop. A small scarf rested on a hook, big enough to fit on a parrot's neck. She took it and stuffed it into her bag. She paused at a small stand packed with jewelry. Seeing many glittery things, and lots of gold chains she stuffed her hand into the pile and took out a random piece.

A gold parrot on a gold chain with a red eye came up. She stuffed it back in the pile. _Don't need any more parrots…_ She moved her hand around again and pulled up a gold rose on a chain. She put it back too._ It's too big! It'll get in the way. _She pushed her hand in one more time and pulled out a little gold teddy bear on a gold chain. She stuffed it in her pocket and ran off again._ Perfect._

It was Christmas Eve. The brick house was cozy and warm, with the fire casting shadows on the wall. The world seemed at peace for once. When Kokoro woke up, the first thing she did was light the fire up again. Then she went to hunt while Korza prepared dinner, breakfast and lunch. But every so often she would hear Safafa humming a Christmas tune, or see a candy cane lying melted on the snow and it would be perfect. As the sun set, she went inside to see Korza and the bird finishing up the cooking. They sat down to eat and when they finally had filled their stomachs sat in a comfortable silence. She went to go wash the dishes and Korza joined her. After a while, Kokoro ended up soaking wet and bubbly while Korza ended up with…and interesting hair style. After they changed Korza smiled and attempted to hide something behind her back.

"Did you seriously get us gifts?" Kokoro mumbled, trying to seem non-chalant.

"Well its Christmas eve! What do you expect?" Korza's voice betrayed her sorrow. Kokoro smirked. She really was childish.

"Well that's good 'cause I got you guys gifts too." She reached inside her pack sack and got the tiny presents. She watched as Korza's face and Safafa beak lit up. If that last part was possible. Korza hugged Kokoro and she opened her present. A beautiful necklace, black as night with silver swirls and decorations caressing its surface. Her eyes widened and she quickly put it on. When she looked again Safafa was decorated as the both of them. She wondered how the parrot got the bandana on, and thought of all the possible ways, none of which could have occurred. Weird.

Sudden tiredness washed over her and as she was slipping into dreams she smiled a small smile and murmured

"Merry Christmas…Korza…and Safafa…" She felt a warm blanket fall on her shoulder and finally let sleep take her for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
